Over the years my buying habits have changed immensely. We've never had a large disposable income so every penny had a purpose.
How to save money at the grocery store
I'm also more conscious now about our health, and I'm trying to eliminate chemicals, harmful ingredients and overly-processed foods from our diet and from our home.
So my mindset and my mission are now to substitute homemade and homegrown products for some of the things we used to buy, to be more self-reliant and self-sustainable, and to avoid products that are chemical-laden and harmful.
In short, I try to be a producer rather than a consumer.
Of course, it isn't possible to be completely self-sustaining, in my opinion, but it sure doesn't hurt to do the best we can, right?
Now it's become a bit of a game to see how little I need from the store, and how seldom I have to make that grocery shopping trip.
The "rules"
Here are ten items I've stopped buying at the grocery store over the years.
I've either replaced them with a homemade version, produce it at home, or have made a healthier substitution. Or maybe I decided we don't need it at all.
Cleaning products
When I first began reducing our use of chemicals, I started with cleaning products. You can clean just about anything with a few basic, natural ingredients such as vinegar and baking soda, and it costs so much less too.
Vinegar in a spray bottle is a good window cleaner, followed by wiping the glass with rubbing alcohol for a great shine.
Personal care products
I make my own whipped coconut oil moisturizer, lip balm with beeswax and essential oils, and sugar scrubs. I use rose hip oil as a nighttime facial moisturizer for mature skin.
Soap
I've made my own goat milk bar soap for years and I love it. The bars have luxurient lather and don't dry my skin out like commercial soap. You can read my soapmaking series here.
Shampoo
I tried making my own liquid shampoo but I just didn't like it.
If you want to try homemade liquid shampoo, try using a foaming soap dispenser. It really makes a difference! However, I just didn't like my hair using this method.
Then I tried using a mixture of baking soda and water instead of shampoo, but I didn't like it either. I also didn't care for the "no poo" practice of using conditioner only, instead of shampoo.
Finally I bought some shampoo bars and really liked the results.
Not all shampoo bars are equal though. Be sure that the bars you buy don't contain harmful ingredients such as sulfates and parabens. This list of 8 harmful shampoo ingredients is a good place to start, but there are more!
Eventually, since I was already making my own soap, I began making my own shampoo bars too. It's the same process as making cold process soap, but with a different combination and concentration of oils.
You'll find my tips on using shampoo bars here. It's quite different from using commercial shampoo. I also share my shampoo bar recipe here.
Hair dye
In the past I used to "cover my grey", but one day I asked myself "why am I trying to live a chemical-free life and pouring chemicals on my brain?"
I haven't found a natural replacement, so I decided to just go grey gracefully. (Well, I hope the journey is graceful.)
Paper plates and paper towels
I stopped buying paper plates on a regular basis many years ago. They were one of the first things to go when we were on a strict and austere budget!
There are a few packages of paper plates and plastic ware in my power outage kit so that in a power outage I don't have to worry about washing dishes, but they aren't our "everyday china."
We use old kitchen towels to mop up spills, and for cleaning purposes, washing windows, and so on, instead of using paper towels.
Facecloths or fingertip towels serve as napkins. This package of 15 100% cotton cloths work great and cost less than $15. Cloth napkins are elegant!
Tip: Buy colored cloths instead of white unless you want to use bleach in the laundry - I don't think we even have a bottle of bleach.
Toothpaste
This has been a tough quest, finding a toothpaste that doesn't include ingredients such as sodium flouride and propylene glycol.
I stopped using commercial toothpaste years ago for this reason. Instead I use baking soda and finely ground sea salt.
Because baking soda is alkaline, it counteracts decay-causing acids in the mouth, kills germs, and fights bad breath. Its gritty texture removes tarter but doesn't harm tooth enamel. The trace minerals in sea salt strengthen teeth and gums and also fight bad breath.
I mix 3 parts baking soda to 1 part fine sea salt and store in a small jar. To use, I pour a small amount into the palm of my hand and dip a wet toothbrush into the powder.
I've also used this tooth powder really like it. The cloves taste really nice.
Convenient boxed mixes
Baking mix, bread machine mixes, pancake mix, and other convenience mixes are very easy to replace at a fraction of the cost, and don't contain preservatives, artificial flavors and ingredients that we can't even pronounce.
It's so easy to mix up the dry ingredients to just about any recipe and store them in a jar until you need it.
Just write down the directions and the wet ingredients to be added when you're ready to bake, and tape the paper to the side of the jar. I often take one day a month to fill jars with our favorite mixes.
This is my absolute favorite chocolate cake recipe. All the dry ingredients are measured out and stored in a quart size canning jar. I printed out the recipe and store it folded inside the jar.
Eggs
Maybe not everyone can stop buying eggs, but you can stop buying them from the grocery store.
Find someone who has a flock of laying hens and buy their farm fresh eggs instead. They are fresher and more flavorful, and your cakes will even rise higher and have a finer texture.
With a coop full of productive hens I have more eggs than I can use up. I've frozen and dehydrated the extra eggs and should have enough to last us over the winter when production falls off. I cook seasonally - using ingredients when they're in season - so we don't eat as many egg dishes in the wintertime.
Seasoning mixes
Making my own taco seasoning and chili seasoning mixes costs just pennies, compared to paying over a dollar for about a tablespoon of herbs, spices and salt.
There are so many websites online with recipes for seasoning mixes that you'll be able to find any spice mix you wish.
Be a producer, not a consumer
By eliminating certain products and substituting others, I've cut our budget and am making better and healthier choices.
It's a wonderful feeling to make fewer trips to the store, and to skip certain aisles in the store completely.
I can't even walk down the cleaning aisles. The smell of those perfumes gives me a headache.
Yes, I'm still buying ingredients, but ingredients are cheaper than brand-name products, and you're in control of what you buy and use.
What could you stop buying?
Learn how to bake bread. Start a garden. Make your own products whenever you can.
Soon you'll be "buying ingredients" at the grocery store instead of over-processed foods and products, saving money and making healthier choices.
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